Updated: North Dakota Offers $7.5M in Grants to Advance Autonomous Agriculture, New Q&A Section and Expanded Eligibility Now Available

The North Dakota Department of Commerce has announced the 2025 Autonomous Agriculture Grant Program, a competitive funding opportunity offering up to $7.5 million to support transformative projects that advance autonomous agriculture in the state.

The program is designed to accelerate the development and deployment of next-generation agricultural technologies, infrastructure, and workforce solutions. Funding may be awarded as a single grant or divided among multiple recipients.

Key Details:

• Total funding available: $7.5 million
• Application opened: Sept. 2, 2025, at 1 p.m. CDT
• Proposal deadline: Oct. 2, 2025, by 5 p.m. CDT
• Funding must be used by: June 30, 2027

Eligible projects may include the development of autonomous agriculture proving grounds, commercialization of ag-tech innovations, workforce training programs, research and deployment of unmanned systems and precision equipment, and land acquisition (added as eligible use of funds) to support autonomous agriculture initiatives.

Applicants must be nonprofits, public-private partnerships, or industry consortia with a permanent presence in North Dakota. Proposals will be evaluated based on their potential to accelerate automation in agriculture, strengthen the workforce, drive commercialization, and deliver measurable economic impact in rural communities.

A selection committee composed of state leaders and industry representatives will review submissions based on a 100-point scoring system. Proposals must be submitted via email to Shayden Akason at sakason@nd.gov.

A new Q&A section has been added to assist applicants with common questions and guidance throughout the application process.

For full application guidelines and to access the Q&A, visit https://ndgov.link/AutonomousGrant.